July 17, 2010
Wow -all three titles could be a blog all by themselves with a lot of content to cover. This is my life right now - Bill and I are both retired from teaching with over 30 years in the classroom; Bill and I both are making sacrifices to one another because of commitments we have made to help out our families; and the contentment comes from knowing we are doing as God wants us to do and what we want to do.
When we retire, we are under the impression life will get much simpler, but it doesn't always work that way. Visions of traveling and going where ever you want doesn't always happen to all who retire. For those who are able to do that you are truly blessed. We have traveled some, and we have enjoyed it. As long as our health is okay, we hope to travel more in the future.
For now, we are taking care of family members (at least trying to do the best we can!). I cherish the fact I still have my mother here with us at the age of 90. She is a spry little thing and can keep us all hopping. My youngest brother, Mike, and I take turns spending the nights with her. She says she can stay by herself and she hates taking us away from her home. We made a promise to Dad before he went Home - we would take care of Mom, and we are keeping that promise!
Before John passed away he would travel in from Doylestown and spend a week with Mom each month. He was her handy man! Anything that she felt needed fixing - John would do it! Before Dink had his stroke, he was the electrical man - the one who made the big decisions and Mom turned to when big ones needed to be made! After all he was the oldest and I guess the wisest, according to Mom! :)
Now it is Mike and I who do what we can for Mom. She has certain jobs that she has delegated to us - I take her to the store and write out the bills, as well as help with her house work and cooking!!! Mike takes care of the yard and any repairs that need to be done. We have certain days we spend the night, but we work it out when one of us has to be gone for various reasons. If we really get in a bind, we have the grandchildren who would step up to the plate and stay with the Mammaw!
Is it easy staying away from home - no it's not! But would I do it any other way - no I wouldn't! The sacrifices Mom made when she was raising four children and caring for Dad could never be measured. It was done with love. The sacrifices we as a family make (spouses included) is made with love as well. Would a mother leave her child and let someone else care for it because they wanted to go out and do something "fun?" The majority of the mothers would NEVER do that - yes there are some mothers who do, and some day they will regret not being there with their children and watching them grow.
I have had many, many people make the comment about "hiring" someone to come in and stay with Mom!!! They have even suggested placing her in a "home!" Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! She has a home and she is functioning well in it, and why would we hire someone to do what we can do???? If we weren't able to help her, then yes it might be an option, but for now we are and we want to do what we can to help our Mother! In a sense, we are paying her back just a small portion of what she did for us!!!! She is our Mother and we love her with all our hearts!
God made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us! Therefore I feel that the sacrifices we make is only a drop in a bucket to what God sacrificed for us to have everlasting life. To all who can not (or will not) understand the commitment we have to help our Mother, I am sorry you don't understand.
Bill's youngest brother is to have hernia surgery - once his blood pressure gets under control. We have no idea as to how long that will be and we will be traveling back and forth to Williamson to check on him and bringing him to the doctors in Huntington. We are praying his BP will get under control and he can have his surgery soon. He will recuperate here with us, and then we will take him home once the doctor Okays that!!!
Our contentment comes from knowing that we are doing all we can to help our loved ones. This is what not only God would want us to do, but the loved ones who have already gone Home would want us to do as well. As I was growing up, I watched my parents take care of my grandparents until they passed away. The sacrifices they made to help make their days here on earth easier. As a family, we helped and it was a great feeling when seeing the looks on their faces. The smile and hugs we get from Mom tell us all we do is worth it. We know that Dad is looking down from above and smiling because we are taking care of the love of his life. We know the day will come when Mom will join Dad, but until then WE ARE going to do all we can to help her!!!!
Some may wonder why I wrote this blog - it is a means for me to release some frustrations I feel when people question why we do what we do and not "hire" someone else to care of our loved ones!! Family means we take care of one another - regardless of their age!
My grandparents sacrificed more than I probably could ever imagine. Their children took care of them as they got older - just like we are doing and did for our parents!
My aunts and uncles took turns in coming and helping with Mammaw after my grandfather passed away.
I wanted to add a picture of our newest generation - 15 month old Cora Ann - just because she is sooooooooo cute!!!!!
It didn't take her long to find the empty cabinet under the sink, and then the fun began!
This is a great hiding place Mammaw!
Now, what should I do????
I'll hide behind the chair and play " peep eye!"
. . . And then I'll put Mom's sunglasses on and become a movie star!!!!
We enjoyed our visit so much, albeit short. We know there will be other times and hopefully more opportunities to visit with this precious baby girl!!!! 
It didn't take her long to find the empty cabinet under the sink, and then the fun began!
This is a great hiding place Mammaw!
Now, what should I do????
I'll hide behind the chair and play " peep eye!"
. . . And then I'll put Mom's sunglasses on and become a movie star!!!!
We enjoyed our visit so much, albeit short. We know there will be other times and hopefully more opportunities to visit with this precious baby girl!!!! 
